How do I install Ferrofluid?

Ferrofluid is part of Charcoal UI Pro. Add the @charcoal registry to components.json with your access token, then run npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/ferrofluid. It copies ferrofluid.tsx into components/ui and installs motion, clsx, tailwind-merge.

Is Ferrofluid free for commercial use?

Ferrofluid needs a Charcoal UI Pro seat, monthly or a one-time lifetime price. A seat covers unlimited personal and commercial projects, including client work, and every future Pro component.

Does Ferrofluid work with Next.js?

Yes. It is a client component for React 19 styled with Tailwind CSS 4, so it works in the Next.js App Router and Pages Router, Vite, Remix and Astro.

Can an AI coding agent install Ferrofluid?

Yes. Connect the Charcoal UI MCP server (https://charcoalui.com/mcp) to Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client; get_component returns Ferrofluid's props and get_install_command returns the exact command.

Ferrofluid

A pool of glossy black fluid that rises into spikes under a magnet that follows the pointer: a noise field thresholded against a distance field, lit with a sharp specular. WebGL, written in the file.

Category: Backgrounds
Licence: Charcoal UI Pro
Built with: React 19, Tailwind CSS 4, Motion
Dependencies: motion, clsx, tailwind-merge

Examples

Ferrofluid

API reference

Prop	Type	Default	Description
`spikes`	`number`	`1`	Spike density.
`speed`	`number`	`1`
`color`	`string`	`"var(--ember)"`	Rim light colour.
`radius`	`number`	`0.35`	Magnet reach as a fraction of the box.
`className`	`string`	—

About Ferrofluid

Ferrofluid is a pool of glossy black fluid that rises into spikes under a magnet that follows the pointer, lit with a sharp specular and an accent rim.

Ferrofluid is an animated background for React 19, styled with Tailwind CSS 4 and animated with Motion. It drops into Next.js, Vite, Remix or Astro through the shadcn CLI as a single file you own.

When to use Ferrofluid

Hardware and science brands.
Premium dark heroes.
Interactive product pages.
Art and design.

How it works

It is a WebGL fragment shader written in the file, with no three.js. Props are read each frame so tuning never rebuilds the context, it pauses off screen, and it falls back to a gradient without WebGL.

The whole layer is decorative and aria-hidden, sits behind your content without taking pointer events it does not need, and pauses when scrolled off screen. With prefers-reduced-motion on, it holds still or settles instantly instead of animating.

Customizing Ferrofluid

Every prop is documented in the API reference above with its type and default. The ones you will reach for first are listed here.

The Customize panel next to the preview lets you change spikes, speed, radius, color live, and the Code tab updates to match, so the snippet you copy already carries your values.

spikes (number, default 1): Spike density.
speed (number, default 1).
color (string, default "var(--ember)"): Rim light colour.
radius (number, default 0.35): Magnet reach as a fraction of the box.

Goes well with Ferrofluid

These backgrounds pieces share its tokens and motion language, so they sit together on one page without clashing.

Ember Field: An animated React ember background: glowing embers drift up and flicker as they cool
Smoke: A slow React smoke background: blurred plumes drifting over dark sections, CSS only
Aurora: An animated React aurora background: soft light bands drifting across a section
Grid Beams: A React grid background with beams of light running along its lines
Meteors: A React meteor shower background: streaks falling diagonally, CSS only

Install Ferrofluid

npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/ferrofluid

Ferrofluid is part of Charcoal UI Pro. One seat unlocks all 300 Pro components, 107 landing-page sections and 100 full templates, for every personal and client project, with updates included. Add the @charcoal registry once with your access token, then the command above copies ferrofluid.tsx into components/ui and installs clsx, tailwind-merge.

You own the file you install: no runtime package, no lock-in, nothing to keep in sync. Change it however your product needs.

See Charcoal UI Pro pricing · Pro setup

Frequently asked questions

How do I install Ferrofluid?: Ferrofluid is part of Charcoal UI Pro. Add the @charcoal registry to components.json with your access token, then run npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/ferrofluid. It copies ferrofluid.tsx into components/ui and installs motion, clsx, tailwind-merge.
Is Ferrofluid free for commercial use?: Ferrofluid needs a Charcoal UI Pro seat, monthly or a one-time lifetime price. A seat covers unlimited personal and commercial projects, including client work, and every future Pro component.
Does Ferrofluid work with Next.js?: Yes. It is a client component for React 19 styled with Tailwind CSS 4, so it works in the Next.js App Router and Pages Router, Vite, Remix and Astro.
Can an AI coding agent install Ferrofluid?: Yes. Connect the Charcoal UI MCP server (https://charcoalui.com/mcp) to Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client; get_component returns Ferrofluid's props and get_install_command returns the exact command.

Ferrofluid as Markdown · llms.txt